"Top 30 Study Strategies for Academic Success"

Classroom Tips

• Attend classes regularly.
• Pay attention in class.
• Hand in assignments on time.
• Ask questions in class.
• Sit toward the front of the classroom. If you must sit toward the back, lean forward during the lecture and class discussion to maintain your attention and interest.
• Anchor new information to information you may already know about the topic.
• Be prepared for class. Read the relevant chapter in your textbook prior to attending class.
• Take notes in class and read your notes after class to fill in missed information and to establish continuity from one lecture to the next.

Study Tips

• Have an interest and desire to learn.
• Give the material your full attention and concentration.
• Minimize distractions.
• Study at times when you are most alert.
• Use prime time to study the most difficult material.
• Take breaks during your study times.
• Reward yourself for study efforts.
• Put small blocks of time to good use.
• Plan assignments in advance. Divide and conquer large projects.
• Don’t cram.
• Don’t procrastinate.
• Learn to say "no."
• Utilize the SQ4R Study System to increase your reading effectiveness

Memorization Tips

• Be selective about what you memorize.
• Be sure you understand the information well enough to be able to apply the information.
• Understand information to memorize.
• Organize information to memorize.
• Make connections and associations between new information and information already stored in your memory.
• Visualize information to memorize by creating pictures on paper or in your mind.
• Create visual study tools such as flashcards, hierarchies, matrixes, time lines, and visual maps.
• Use key words, acronyms, acrostics, rhythms, rhymes, jingles, cartoons, pictures, and story lines to memorize.
• Rehearse and review to memorize.
• Maintain a positive attitude.

 

Revised: 9/8/05, /std